diggen-1987

he long life of the GDR Michael Ploenus When in the autumn intoxication 1989 humans in the GDR their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights in-complained at a party and government and demanded concrete reforms, probably hardly someone could itself dream have let that only few years later the once hated repressive system in its nostalgic minimization in the wahrsten sense of the word merry Urstaend ' would celebrate. It seems today, as if the GDR in the consciousness of its former citizens at the fright lost, which drove it once on the road and to the protest. A cause for it is appropriate for the GDR in "peaceful death" after a "revolution without Rache".1 "and a peaceful death has, as we to know, the characteristic, additional the Verblichenen a holy light umzuhaengen."2 In the perception fewer East German ones today - around it provokant zuzuspitzen - forty years material existing socialism do not reduce to social security with low rents and food prices, to comprehensibility of the society with its possibilities and borders, to collegial security on the job and to vacation at the FKK beach in Prerow or in the inexpensive FDGB hotel in the Thueringer forest. The GDR under guidance of a Marxist lenistischen party mutates after its dying in the memory of many humans to a contemplative and love-worth place with (almost -) model function. In a daily paper for example a reader appointed itself to the lexical reference, according to which nostalgia as "homesickness and the longing sound to sei.3 this after the losing" to understand now straight, as if would have the Federal Republic illegitimately and with insubordinate means the GDR zwangskolonialsiert and involuntarily from its material-socialist paradies pushed the East German of Adam and Evas. Numerous publications of partially sinisterer publishing houses paint a idyllische GDR into bright Farben.4 and if for others than model suited, then the "first worker and farmer state on German soil" are already not in the fun company nevertheless at least party compatible. The citizens of Berlin newspaper 1997 reported of one to the east Parties popular in the new Lands of the Federal Republic, with which an extra from Poland engaged Stalin double arose. "a young, easily over-weighty man gave gutgelaunt the mass murderer in uniform, pressed girls in lacquer panties and clenched the fist." The organizer pointed himself proudly to his program, which may not do "taboos" kenne.5 in view of such a historicalforgotten Geschmacklosigkeiten seriously is asked whether a fear, which the historian Christian Striefler expressed in the year 1996 can be robbed in the meantime of its Konjunktivs: "surprised, if in the shade of clarifying and lies, of pure washing and doubtful authentications a GDR nostalgia develops, at their end also the contempting for human beings system of socialism its frights do not lose it koennte."6 Thereby is the observable Renaissance of everyday life terms problematic? Or one however constituted pleasant memory of the individual life in the GDR? Does the German unit apply, then can be asked further, only then as completes if more jedweder material-socialist devil with the saturierten West German Beelzebub were driven out? Is the "Ossis" only then good democrats, if they can refer their own past, thus her not to personal active resistance including dungeon detention, completely and reumuetig abgeschworen to have? Who strives itself fairly around the answer of such questions, sees oneself rapid in case of ambivalence to want on the one hand the partially grotesque and everywhere perceptible clarifying of the GDR scourges on the other hand an indifferent nostalgic feeling than anthropologische basic category in principle to recognize to have. The Dresdner Politologe Lothar Fritz makes the presence of the passing in its remarkable book ". Over living on the GDR after their end "on the double face of this nostalgia attentively. It differentiates two forms of the longing according to the passing. "one can back-wish oneself therefore wish the past time as it were also" skin and Haaren`, that everything would have remained in such a way or would come back; or however one wishes oneself certain aspects of this time back, one believes, these should not have been lost, or they like recovered werden."7 Fritz's opinion that nostalgia in this pure form "as politically noteworthy consciousness phenomenon not existiert"8 to agree is not not least on the basis that hardly to grasping inquiries to this Thema.9 by any means however should that mean that the group "of the genuine" Nostalgiker, thus that "skin and hair Haut-und-Haar-Zurueckwuen" one size which can be neglected would be. It is because of "their possible opinion leader shank beachtenswert".10 Fritz continues still another step and differentiates between Partial nostalgia and pseudo nostalgia. First results from a Partial consent with the socialist system. It enclosure all aspects of the life reality, but does not certainly rekurriert rather on the Verinnerlichung of socialist value conceptions such as equal chances or social justice. Pseudo nostalgia however is the answer to straining the East German of self value feeling due to the radical economic and mental-cultural changes after 1989, thus that reflexful "Ossi identity", it at times of the GDR so not given in to its opinion hat.11 in this Konstrukten, then it seems, swings with all indifferenz however enough realism also, the own requirements at state and society nevertheless over their feasibility is not placed. Only 15% answered according to the large mirror inquiry of 1995 with "" to the question whether it would have better no combination of both German states gives sollen.12 nevertheless grassiert the Ostalgie. Off the science (however not rarely also there), particularly in the party-political sphere the GDR lives publicly in two different shape away. On the one hand as stalinistische, totalitarian or authoritarian dictatorship and thus as fright ghost, as contrast to the free Federal Republic. On the other hand than legitimate, but incorrect experiment with however amazing results. The party-political allocation of these positions might not be difficult. Problematic are however both. The one, because it abstractly and dogmatisch classities the GDR apparently exclusively under the contrasts "democratic-undemocratically", "free-unfreely" or "constitutional state injustice state" and fades out the everyday and personal experiences and not least the adjustment pressure of the particular to a large extent. These valuations in detail are so correct, so easily transparently are their political, economic situation-conditioned purpose and so much are noticeable the actual lack of interest at a total perspective. For the common "Ossi" this is in the rest of a decidedly arrogant west view of the things. The other shape of a GDR of the achievements with errors, which is to be seen in dialectic relation to described the above, is more differentiated only on the first volatile view. It will alive receive journalistic over left publishing houses and Party of Democratic Socialismnear "defiance circle" of former system supports. More easily than mentioned black-and-white distorted image this shape finds its feedback at East German presentnesses over long the not out-cured "totalitarian Intoxikation"13 by forty years lasting SED rule including internal-light standards and value conceptions. Here again dominated besides in the representation individual experiencing in the categories accepted social security, collective security and more or less society vision. The propagandists of such a GDR picture fade out their stalinistische deformations not, but prevail in the agitation a glaring disproportion between pros and cons. It publishes unquestionably numerous valuable and engaged publications from the Party of Democratic Socialism and its surrounding field. The historian Christian von Ditfurth, who completed a "journey by the Party of Democratic Socialism", notices however by right in addition: "there are two different kinds to object however: First of all it concerns the activity of an infinitesimal minority, at the basis the surface not even ripples itself/crinkles (...) secondly is in many contributions to be felt that it concerns increasingly, the own policy and past to legitimieren."14 The writing flood, which proceeds from such associations and publishing houses, is to be grasped immensely and hardly. The question, whether it reaches also the average citizen in East Germany, is difficult to answer. At least there is a quiet alliance. One reads only once attentively reader letters in East German daily papers, above all if again times one brings like the current Minister of Justice of Lower Saxony Christian Pfeiffer the East German people soul with diskutablen theses to the dialectic of East German kindergarten education and right-wing extremism to cooking. Or if a journalist, as in the past year happen, must see himself confronted with the criticism in polarize-mix-biting kind the MDR by right as a broadcasting corporation beschreibt15 and carrying the Ostalgie in reader letter reactions, "40 years Russian crew were not as bad as this Artikel"16. One throws the moreover comparatively a view of the publications of the GNN publishing house Schkeuditz. Then one will see, how close published and free-floating opinions together lie. From here on there and beyond that it is only a small qualitative jump. The East German public opinion analyst Helmut Meier places herself in an investigation to the historical conciousness and the historical identity of the East German completely openly the "question about the firmness of the found opinions and their possible capabilities under present conditions". To the analysis of various inquiries Meier comes in the end: "with the right of the involved one and concerning they differentiate between the failure of the GDR guidance with the implementation of the socialist requirement and the legitimacy of a socialist alternative. For these citizens and citizens with the end of the GDR socialism did not take care of itself by any means. Exactly the same they reject it to accept the positively felt courses of the GDR company as source of their fall which means nothing different one, than that it the appreciation actually not with dignity seien."17 In such empirically occupied attitudes Meier sees a "weighty quantity mobilisierbare(n) to alternative potential (s)" of bewahrt.18 may one thus a certain nostalgia of the East German as rather unpolitical accompaniment of the radical change in the course of the combination in purchase take, then one should not underestimate the potential and the will to its political utilization. A being correct portion of 48% with the Berlin choice 2001 for the Party of Democratic Socialism in the East part of Berlin speaks a clear language. It does not concern alone choice successes of the SED Nachfolgepartei, but around the danger cultural hegemony, the GDR-SPECIFIC mentalities conserved and tradiert and the development of a democratic culture makes or verhindert.19 more difficult Who believes now, Ostalgie is only a temporary problem that by generation change besides it grows together itself which is to the hat inquiries points that the straight judgement of those, which experienced the GDR only as a child by far more positively precipitates than that the aelteren.20 in addition a small example: In Apolda existed for two years a permanent exhibition "Olle GDR", which presents all kinds of everyday life implements to the visitor, permanent under-paints general places occupying comments of the volume with East German hits and. In the visitor book of the museum is the following entry of a eleven-year old, which is not in its kind the only one: "hello, I is called Daniel and was very much surprised, as it at that time was in the GDR like that. I would have become also gladly pioneer. I find it good that the citizens of Berlin wall is fallen and that Germany is again one. But I must say one: it must been in the GDR beautifully sein."21 Inquiries specifying here would be desirable to the GDR understanding under the classes that end of the eighties bearing. The danger that a journalistic and exhibition-cleaned GDR and more connected with it a literarily gelaeuterter socialism in 21. Century as "the third way" between capitalism and fundamentalism functioned, does not seem to me by any means gebannt and for the east also by no means incorrectly. Too little attention finds in the public perception besides the phenomenon of a "left historical revisionism" accompanying with it, which plays the stalinistischen crimes down leugnet22 similarly to the right-wing extremist counterpart or however theoretically verbraemt as unfortunate accompaniment on the way to an actually worthwhile people community. The fact that here also numerous West German intellectual ones contribute their academic Scherflein to it became evident in the debate around the "black book of communism". The dangers, which go out with such Geschichtsklitterung for the establishment of a democratic consciousness, are hardly noticed, if does not even underestimate. Only too gladly official Sundays speeches take off on the myth autumn 1989, geifen however thereby too briefly and work in their prayer-millful swearing to rather helplessly. The open resentment of many East German ones in relation to the Federal Republic and its values does not occur in such announcements. This surveys the west in its confusing variety, means the young (East German) man of letters Marko Martin obvious. And it continues to notice: "a serious concrete identity opposes the permanent bad conscience in the west, its liberal virtue of the self doubt, those their strength from a before-modern we feeling bezieht."23 in the east In view of an open culture fight in East Germany, which after the end of the worker and farmer state from the "obligatory subject" "aufrichtige(n) DDR-Buerger"24 to make threatens, is missing a consistent strategy of appropriate handling the topic. The Unterrepaesentanz of the East German dictatorship in the school teaching is only one deficiency. It would also be so desirable: One will long not be able to drive the East German out the Ostalgie over briefly or. It applies to let the fear of "concessions" drive to the GDR and the difficult experiences of humans with it. A loud, reduced for life-lay experience including marking of the GDR as the inevitable covering of a lived life with partial (!) compromise obligations and nevertheless decided, a just as loud HOWEVER are more attached than a categorical no - for sake the open society sake. Personal concluding remark When I inserted a pause recently coming in an abandoned area of Brandenburg of Berlin with the car, I remembered at the sight purged with kneel-high grass umsaeumten, any longer claimant station wehmuetig my childhood. Automatically. I have this feeling certified. The GDR did not appear to me nevertheless afterwards as vanishing point. One had to do with the other one only indirectly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Vgl. Arnold Vaatz: A controversy. Documentation of a halfpublic debate, in: Christian Striefler/ Wolfgang Templin: Of the return of socialism. The other side of the reunification, Berlin Frankfurt/Main 1996, S.166-191, S.167. 2 Ebd., S.167f. 3 nostalgia means homesickness, in: Berlin newspaper from 1 September 1995. 4 exemplary for it: "I experienced independent author community in such a way" (Hg.): Trace safety device III. Life in the GDR, GNN publishing house Schkeuditz 2001. 5 Ostalgie in the full intoxication, in: Berlin newspaper from 15 April 1997. 6 Christian Striefler: Of the return of socialism. The other side of the reunification. An introductory view, in: Christian Striefler/ Wolfgang Templin (Hg.): Of the Widerkehr of socialism. The other side of the Wiederveinigung, Berlin Frankfurt/Main 1996, S.7-21, S.10. 7 Lothar Fritz: The presence of the passing. Over living on the GDR after their end, Weimar Cologne Berlin 1997, S.94. 8 Ebd. - the few "hard" and organized Nostalgiker are in small Politsekten as to be found the 1990 in the former GDR a again-created communist party of Germany (KPD) or the not noteworthy remainder of the once member-strong Free ones German Youth (FDJ). (to whose one informs positions itself best on its InterNet sides: kommunistische party deutschlands.de and/or fdj.de). 9 see for instance Hans Steussloff: To the identity of the East German. Characteristics of a phenomenon (attaches 66 to GDR history), Berlin 2000; Uta Sittig: Ostalgie - a separate ion attempt of the German east? Attitudes to value questions of the liberal democracy in Thuringia, in: Helmut Roewer et al.. (Hg.): In good condition II. Erfurt of contributions to the protection of the constitution, Erfurt 1998, S.149-177. 10 Fritz, S.106. 11 Vgl. Fritz, S.96-111. 12 Vgl. Proudly on the own life, in: MIRROR 27/95. 13 Vgl. Klaus Hornung: The totalitarian age. Balance 20. Century, unabridged expenditure for paperback, Berlin 1997, S.352. 14 Christian von Ditfurth: Ostalgie or links alternative. My journey by the Party of Democratic Socialism, Cologne 1998, S.149. 15 Vgl. Mach you raus!, in: MIRROR 20/2000. 16 Vgl. Mirror forum to the topic "always on the Ossis! As the west media are unfair?", in: MIRROR 26/2000. 17 Helmut Meier: Historical conciousness and historical identity in the GDR. Attempt of a critical balance (attaches 31 to GDR history), Berlin 1996, S.39. 18 Ebd., S.40. 19 see in addition the biting article of franc Pergande "socialism triumphs. Chronicle of a culture fight in the middle in Germany ", in: Frankfurt general newspaper from 25 October 2001. 20 Vgl. Uta Sittig: Ostalgie, S.175. 21 the entry one corrected orhtographisch by me. It is added that this exhibition is promoted by the district administration office Weimar country. 22 a view of the interested reader of the InterNet side of the KPD (kommunistische party deutschlands.de) is sufficient. The possible objection, here concerns it an insignificant group of fragments, defends themselves not. Finally also the circle of the Holocaust Leugner is not exorbitantly large. 23 Marko Martin: Always in the circle. An extremely subjective walk by the irrgaerten of the resentment, in: Christian Striefler, Wolfgang Templin (Hg.): Of the return of socialism. The other side of the reunification, Berlin Frankfurt/Main 1996, S. 128-153, S.140. 24 Vgl. Socialism triumphs, in: Frankfurt general newspaper from 25 October 2001.

Emule

The long{tall} life of the GDR
Michael Ploenus
When in the autumn drunkenness in 1989 the people sued for her{their} according to constitution guaranted fundamental rights party guidance and state guidance in the GDR and demanded concrete reforms, somebody could be probably barely had dreamed can do that only after some years the once odious repressive system would celebrate merry Urständ' in his{its} nostalgic minimization in the most true sense of the word. Today it seems in such a way as if the GDR has lost in the consciousness of her{their} former citizens to the fright which did{drove} them{her} once on the street and to the protest{remonstrance}. A cause for it{in return} lies in the " peaceful death " of the GDR after a " revolution without revenge " .1 " And a peaceful death has as we know, the characteristic, afterwards to the faded a halo umzuhängen. " 2

Today in the perception of less East German do not decrease - to sharpen{bring to a head} it provoking{provocative} - forty years really existing socialism on social security{safety} with low rents and food prices, on clarity of the society{company} with her{their} possibilities and borders, on helpful security in the workplace and on vacations on the FKK beach in Prerow or at the inexpensive FDGB hotel in the Thuringian wood. The GDR under guidance{leadership} of a Marxist lenistischen party mutates after her{their} demise in the recollection{memory} of many people to a contemplative{leisurely} and charming place with (Nearly) model function.

In a newspaper, for instance, a reader appealed to the lexical tip{indication} after which nostalgia is 3 to be understood as a " homesickness and the longing for the lost “ this now sounds just in such a way as if the federal republic illegally and with insubordinate{rebellious} means had bumped the GDR zwangskolonialsiert and the East German Adams and Evas involuntarily from her{their} real-socialist paradise.

Numerous publications partly of sinister publishing companies paint the idyllic GDR in luminous Farben.4 And if for other already not than model suited, the " first working-class state and farm state on German ground{bottom} is at least compatible with party “ in the fun society, nevertheless. The Berlin newspaper reported in 1997 about one of the east parties popular in the new federal states with which a Stalin's double specially been involved from Poland appeared{played}. " A young{new}, slightly overweight man{husband} gave in a good mood the mass murderer in uniform, pressed of girl{lass} in varnish trousers and clenched the fist. " The organizer appeared proudly on his{its} program, " no taboos " kenne.5 of face of so historical-forgotten tastelessness may be seriously asked whether a fear{misgivings} which the historian Christian Striefler expressed in 1996, in the meantime, of her{their} subjunctive mood can be robbed:

" It does not surprise if in the shade of transfigurations and lies, from pure ablutions and dubious legitimizations a GDR nostalgia originates at whose end also the person-despising system of the socialism could lose his{its} frights. " 6
Is the beobachtbare Renaissance of everyday concepts problematic, besides? Or a pleasant recollection{memory} disposed however of the individual life in the GDR? Does the German unity{unit} count{apply}, can be further asked, only as perfect when every real-socialist devil with the saturierten alliance republican Beelzebub was driven out? Are the "East-German citizens" only good democrats when they cannot refer to her{their} own past, thus them{her} to personal active opposition with imprisonment, have renounced{abjured} completely{especially} and remorseful?

Who strives itself fairly around the answer of such questions, sees itself quickly in the ambivalence trap to want to castigate on the one hand the partly absurd and transfiguration discernible everywhere of the GDR, to have to recognize{accept}, on the other hand, an indifferent nostalgic feeling{emotion} as an anthropological basic category in principle.

The Dresden political scientist Lothar Fritze does{makes} in his{its} noteworthy book „ the present of the past{last}. About living on the GDR after her{their} end “ on the double face of this nostalgia carefully. He distinguishes two forms{shapes} of the longing for the past{last}.

„ One is able to come{go} to himself the past{last} time as it were‚ skin and hair ‘ wish back, thus wish that everything would have remained thus or would come again; or, however, one wishes back to himself certain aspects of this time, one believes, these should not have got lost, or they may be won back. “ 7
Nevertheless, the Fritzes view that nostalgia in this pure form „ as a politically notable consciousness phenomenon not existed “ 8, is to be agreed not least on the basis of the surveys barely to be overlooked to this Thema.9 should signify By no means{Not at all} this that the group of the "real" nostalgics, thus that "Haut-und-Haar-Zurückwünscher" would be a size to be neglected. She is namely{since} because of " her{their} possible Meinungsführerschaft noteworthly “ .10

Fritze goes on one more step and differentiates between Partial nostalgia and Pseudo nostalgia. Former ones results from a Partial consensus with the socialist system. She{it} encloses, admittedly{of course}, not all aspects of the life reality, but rekurriert rather on the internalization of socialist values like equal opportunities or social justice. However, Pseudo nostalgia is of his{its} view after the answer to the Strapazierung of the East German self-esteem as a result of the radical economic and spiritual-cultural changes after 1989, thus that reflex-like "East-German citizen's identity" which there has not been at times of the GDR thus in these constructs, it seems, enough realism resonates with all indifference, nevertheless, the own claims are not put{arranged} in state and society{company}, nevertheless, about their{her} feasibility. Only 15% answered according to the big{great} SPIEGEL survey of 1995 with "Yes" to the question whether there should 12 have been better no union of both German states the Ostalgie is still rife.

Off the science (however, not seldom also there), above all, in the party political sphere the GDR lives on publicly in two things figure{guise}. On the one hand, as a Stalinist, totalitarian or authoritarian dictatorship and with it{thus} as a bugbear, as a contrast to the free federal republic. To the other than legitimate{justified}, but faulty experiment with nevertheless astounding results. The party political allocation of these positions might not be difficult. Nevertheless, both are problematic. One because she{it} rubricates the GDR apparently exclusively under the contrasts{oppositions} "democratic undemokratisch", "free-not free{free-restricted}" or "constitutional state-wrong state" in the abstract and dogmatically and fades out the everyday and personal experiences and not least the adaptation pressure of the singles to a great extent. So properly{correctly} these evaluations are in detail, so slightly transparently is her{their} political, cyclical purpose{target} and so much the real{virtual} disinterest to a whole perspective strikes. For the common "East-German citizen" this is for the rest a decidedly haughty west view of the things{matters}.

The other figure{guise} of the GDR of the achievements with mistakes which is to be seen in the dialectic relation to the described on top is differentiated only on the first brief look{glance}. She{it} will receive in the media about left publishing companies and "Trotzzirkel" Close to PDS of former system props in the life. Lighter as a meant black-and-white caricature this figure{guise} does not find her{their} back coupling to East German sensitivities about for a long time „ totalitarian Intoxikation “ cured 13 SED rules lasting by forty years with inward-looking norms and values. Besides, here again{on the other hand} the individual experience dominates in the representation in the categories social security{safety}, collective security and more or less accepted society vision. Indeed, the propagandists of such a GDR picture do not fade out their{her} Stalinist deformations, however, a crass disproportion rules in the agitation between Per and Against. It publishes doubtless numerous valuable and engaged publications from PDS and her{their} sphere. However, the historian Christian von Ditfurth who graduated from a " trip by PDS “ notes rightly in addition:

„ However, there is two things to argue: First it concerns the activity of an evanescent minority which not even curls the surface in the base. (...) secondly is to be felt in many contributions{articles} that it is a matter increasingly of legitimizing the own policy{politics} and past. “ 14
The written flood which goes out{burns out} from such associations and publishing companies is immense{tremendous} and to overlook barely. The question whether it also reaches{arrives} the average{mean} citizen in Eastern Germany is heavy to answer. At least there is a quiet{calm} alliance. One reads only once carefully letters to the editor in East German newspapers, above all when once again like the current{present} Minister of Justice Christian Pfeiffer from Lower Saxony the East German public feeling with arguable theses brings to the dialectic of East German kindergarten education and right-wing extremism to the cooking{boiling}. Or if a journalist, how last year happen, in controversial-vicious kind{way} must see the MDR rightly as a radio company carrying the Ostalgie beschreibt15 and itself in letter to the editor reactions with the criticism{review} confronted, „ 40 years of Russian occupying{crew} have not been so bad like this article “ 16. One throws furthermore comparative a look{glance} at the publications of the GNN publishing company Schkeuditz. Then one will see how near published and free-floating opinions lie together.

From here to there and, in addition{beyond it}, it is only a small{little} qualitative jump. The East German public opinion analyst Helmut Meier puts{arranges} to himself in an investigation to the historical conciousness and the historical identity of the East Germans quite openly the " question after the firmness{stability} of the found views and her{their} possible effect possibilities under present conditions{terms} “. According to the analysis of various surveys majordomo comes{gets} in the end:

„ With the right{law} of the involved parties and affected person they make a distinction between the failure of the GDR guidance by the realization of the socialist claim and the legitimacy of a socialist alternative. For these citizens and female citizens the socialism has taken care at the end of the GDR by no means{not at all}. Just they refuse to accept the positively felt trains{features} of the GDR society as a spring{source} of her{their} setting{decline} what signifies nothing else, as that they are not worthy to the esteem, actually. “ 17
In such empirically occupied settings{discontinuances} majordomo sees a " weighty quantity mobilizeable (n) alternative potential (s) “ preserved 18 liking{wanting} one a certain nostalgia of the East Germans as a rather apolitical concomitant of the radical change in the course of the union accepting, one should not underestimate the potential and the will to her{their} political utilization. A vocal interest of 48% by the Berlin choice in 2001 for PDS in the east part of Berlin speaks a clear language{talk}. Besides, it is not only about election success of the succession party SED, but about the danger{threat} of a cultural hegemony which complicates GDR specific mentalities preserved and tradiert and the development of democratic culture or prevents{hinders} 19 even

Who believes now, Ostalgie is only one passing{momentary} problem that, moreover, to itself grows together by generation change, that is on the hat. Surveys show that just the judgment that which experienced the GDR only as a child falls out by far more positively than älteren.20 In addition a small{little} example: in Apolda exists for two years a long-term exhibit „ Olle the GDR “ which presents all kinds of Alltagsutensilien to the visitor, constantly{always} primes{provides a background} with East German Schlagern and general spaces to taking comments of the volume{tape}. In the visitor's book of the museum the following{next} entry of a 11-year-old who is not the only one in his{its} kind is found:

„ Hello, I calls Daniel and had been surprised very much how it was at that time in the GDR so. I would also have become with pleasure a pioneer. I find good that the Berlin wall has liked{fallen} and that Germany again is one. But I must say one: it must have been nice in the GDR. “ 21
Here specifying surveys would be desirable to the GDR understanding under the volumes the end of the eighties to born. The danger{threat} that the in the media and exhibit-cleaned GDR and a socialism linked purified with it{thus} literarily acts{functions} in the 21st century as the " third way “ between capitalism and Fundamentalismus seems to me by no means{not at all} fascinated and for the east also by no means{not at all} incorrectly.

Not enough attention finds in the public perception, besides, the phenomenon walking along with it{thus} of a " left historical revisionism “ which runs through the Stalinist crimes leugnet22 or, however, theoretically{in theory} verbrämt as an unfortunate concomitant on the way to an actually worthwhile{desirable} human community analogously to the radically right-wing counterpart. The fact that here also numerous West German intellectuals contribute her{their} academic mite to it, has become obvious in the debate{discussion} around the " black book of the communism “. The dangers which go out{burn out} from such Geschichtsklitterung for the establishment of a democratic consciousness are barely perceived if not underestimates even.

Only much too gladly official{formal} Sunday talkings on the myth remove{draw} autumn, 1989, geifen, however, with it{thus} too briefly and work{have an effect} in her{their} gebetsmühlenhaften invocation rather helplessly. The open resentment of many East German towards the federal republic and her{their} values is not found{seems not} in such announcements. Apparently the west overlooks this in his{its} bewildering variety, thinks the young{new} (East German) man of letters Marko Martin{writer Marko Martin}. And he further notes:

„ A concrete identity to be taken seriously which covers{refers} her{their} strength from a premodern we-feeling{we-emotion} stands in the way in the east of the permanent bad conscience in the west, his{its} liberal virtue of the selfdoubt. “ 23
In view of an open cultural war in Eastern Germany which threatens to do{make} after the end of the working-class state and farm state from the " forcible subject “ „ frank (n) GDR citizen “ 24 a logical{consistent} strategy of the adequate contact with the subject is absent{missing}. The Unterrepäsentanz of the East German dictatorship in the school lessons is only one deficiency.

So desirable it would also be: One will not be able to drive out the East German the Ostalgie sooner or later. Hence, it is a matter of letting drive the fear of "concessions" according to the GDR and the difficult experiences of the people with her. Loud, limited{restricted} Yes to the life-worldly experience with mark of the GDR as the compulsive cover of a lived life with partial (!) compromise compulsions and anyhow determined, as loud, HOWEVER, are right as categorical No - the open society{company} for the sake of.

Personal concluding remark
When I inserted an interstop recently in a desolate area of Brandenburg of Berlin by the car{automobile} coming{next}, I remembered at the sight of a dilapidated{decayed}, with knee-high grass surrounded, no more pursued railway station wistful of my childhood. Involuntarily. I have admitted this feeling{emotion}. The GDR appeared to me behind{afterwards} still{nevertheless} not vanishing point. One had to act namely{since} with the other only indirectly.

1 Cf Arnold Vaatz: a quarrel{an argument}. Documentation{demonstration} of a half-public debate{discussion}, in: Christian Striefler/Wolfgang Templin: from the return of the socialism. The other side of the reunion, Berlin Frankfurt am Main in 1996, S.166-191, S.167.

6 Christians Striefler: from the return of the socialism. The other side of the reunion. A prefatory consideration, in: Christian Striefler/Wolfgang Templin (Hg).: from the Widerkehr of the socialism. The other side of the Wiederveinigung, Berlin Frankfurt am Main in 1996, S.7-21, S.10.

7 Lothars Fritze: the present of the past{last}. About living on the GDR after her{their} end, Weimar Cologne Berlin in 1997, S.94.

8 Ebd. - few "hard" and organized nostalgics are to be found in small{little} political sects like the communist party refounded in 1990 in the former GDR of Germany (GCP) or the not notable rest{remainder} of the once member-strong free German youth{young people} (FDJ). (To positions one finds out best of all on her{their} Internet pages: kommunistische-partei-deutschlands.de <http://www.kommunistische-partei-deutschlands.de> or fdj.de <http: // www.fdj.de>).

9 cf possibly Hanses Steussloff: to the identity of the East Germans. Signs of a phenomenon (fixes to the ddr history 66), Berlin in 2000; Uta Sittig: Ostalgie - a dissolution attempt of the German east? Settings{discontinuances} to worth questions of the liberal democracy in Thuringia, in: Helmut Roewer et.al. (Hg).: in good constitution{state} II Erfurt contributions{articles} to the protection of the constitution, Erfurt in 1998, S.149-177.

14 Christians of Ditfurth: Ostalgie or left alternative. My trip by PDS, Cologne in 1998, S.149.

15 Cf do{make} you out!, in: SPIEGEL 20/2000.

16 Cf SPIEGEL forums on the subject „ Always on the East-German citizens! How unfair are the west. Media? “, in: SPIEGEL 26/2000.

17 Helmut Meier: historical conciousness and historical identity in the GDR. Attempt of a critical balance (fixes to the ddr history 31), Berlin in 1996, S.39.

18 Ebd., S.40.

19 Cf in addition the vicious article of Frank Pergande „ the socialism wins. Chronicle of a cultural war in the middle of Germany “, in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung from the 25th October, 2001.

20 Cf Utas Sittig: Ostalgie, S.175.

21 the entry was corrected orhtographisch by me. It would be added that this exhibit is promoted by the District Office Weimar land{country}.

22 It a look{glance} of the interested reader at the Internet page of GCP (kommunistische-partei-deutschlands.de <http://www.kommunistische-partei-deutschlands.de>) is enough{satisfies}. Here the possible objection, concerns it around an unimportant faction{splinter group}, does not defend. In the end, the circle{ring} the Holocaust Leugner is also not big{great} exorbitant.

23 Marko Martin: Always in the circle{ring}. An extremely subjective walk by the mad gardens of the resentment, in: Christian Striefler, wolfgang Templin (Hg).: from the return of the socialism. The other side of the reunion, Berlin Frankfurt am Main in 1996, p. 128-153, S.140.